The present invention relates generally to a device configured for remote communications through a transmission line and more particularly to printing apparatus configured for remote data transfer and diagnostics.
Many types of home, office and commercial electronic equipment now feature capabilities enabled through connection with remote sending and receiving devices. Among the most connections are computer connections with the Internet, facsimile connection with fiber or telephonic transmission lines, and networked office equipment connected through an Ethernet. For complex equipment such as electronic printers and copiers, an increasingly common feature is remote data transfer and diagnostics through which software can be remotely maintained and updated and, in the event of required machine maintenance, diagnostic communications can increase the likelihood that service personnel arrive on-site with the appropriate replacement parts and, at a minimum, arrive with advanced knowledge of the probable location within the system in need of repair. For instance, the DocuCentre 240/265 family of multifunctional printing systems sold by the Xerox Corporation features remote data transfer capability, including automatic detection on startup. Upon machine start-up, the machine runs a dial tone test to determine if the machine has remote data transfer (RDT) configured. If the test results contradict with the system's RDT settings, an error message is presented to the user stating this “configuration mismatch”. The user then needs to specify whether RDT is configured or not.
An undesired effect of the above increased connectedness is an increasing number of fault messages delivered to operators informing them that the communications link is disabled or not available. One reason for this increase in fault messages is the trend toward placement of more and more devices on the same cable or phone line. Since most of these devices require only periodic communication with their remote data transfer host, placement of multiple devices on the same line is more economical than adding new cable or phone lines for each new device. Of course, the more devices that are placed on a single line, the greater the probability that the line will be in use by another device when the subject device seeks to detect a dial tone.
Under current practices, an operator working with a device that receives a fault message indicating the non-availability of its transmission line has limited choices. In devices such as the Xerox DocuCentre 240/265, the user must specify the correct configuration. Until this information is specified, the machine will not complete the power on process. There is no indicator under current practice to inform the operator whether the fault message is due to a disconnected transmission line or whether the fault message is simply because the line is busy sending or receiving messages from another device. In the absence of such indicator, the operator will often want to ensure that the fault is not from a defect in the transmission line itself. Since the presence or absence of a physical connection is one of the few problems that can be visibly diagnosed by an operator, many operators will respond to the fault message by attempting to inspect the connection between the system device and its transmission line. As noted above, this is wasted effort in many cases since the most common cause of the error message is simply that the transmission line is busy. Moreover, the receptacle for receiving the transmission line is usually in or near the rear of the system devices. If the operator moves the system device to inspect the physical connection to the transmission line in its rear, then the movement itself may result in a bad connection between the transmission line and the receptacle. In the case of large system devices such as production size copiers or printers, the very size of the system device makes movement difficult. An operator would greatly benefit from knowing for sure that the physical connection between the line and the receptacle is secure in order to be able to rule out this possibility without needing to attempt to move or awkwardly to peer behind such a large system device. Even for physically manageable devices, it would be beneficial for most operators to know that the connection between the transmission line and the receptacle is secure in order that this possible cause of a fault message be ruled out. With such increased information, an operator can more efficiently focus attention on other possible causes of the fault message or may conclude that the fault message is most likely the result of a line being in use when contacted by the system device.